Everything happened so fast. There was a flurry of movement as Ornice pulled out a hidden dagger and Shae had to sidestep as she wildly swung it towards her. Screams from the other women echoed through the halls, grinding the ball to a halt. Shae could hear multiple boots rushing toward her, but she couldn't take her eyes off her attacker for fear of missing another jab of the dagger.

Ornice lunged again and Shae couldn't quite get out of her reach. Desperate to keep the blade from piercing her, she grabbed on to Ornice's wrist with both hands. Looking up, she stared into the eyes of someone she thought she knew, at least marginally. But the woman staring back at her was not the one she had laughed with in the drawing room the last few weeks. This was someone else. Someone dangerous. Someone intent on killing her.

They stumbled back as they grappled for the upper hand. The small woman was surprisingly strong. As Ornice pressed closer, Shae could feel the hot breath on her face, and the sickly sweet smell almost made her gag. Then the other woman lurched backwards, away from Shae as someone's arm shoved her, and fell on the floor with a grunt. Hedda advanced on the other woman and kicked the hand wielding the dagger. With a cry, Ornice dropped the weapon. Shae couldn't help but stare as the tall Bergener pulled Ornice up by the collar of her dress and held her securely as the other woman squirmed in her arms.

"Let me go!" Ornice wailed.

Moments later, several King's Guards reached them at the same time as Felix pushed his way between the crowd of onlookers that had gathered to see what was going on. His eyes widened as he saw Ornice being restrained by Hedda. Turning to Shae, his eyes scanned her, looking for injuries. When he found none, he pulled her into his arms, and she buried her face in his shoulder, appreciating the closeness even as he held her a little tighter than necessary.

"What happened?" he asked, not letting go of her.

"She's the one who's been attacking me. Her shoulder started bleeding from where I struck her with the arrow, and when she realised, she went for me." Her arms slid around his waist. Even with Ornice glaring at them with hateful eyes, she felt safe in his embrace.

He looked over her head to issue an order to the guards. "Take her to the cellars and find out what she knows."

The King's Guards marched the lady-in-waiting away, the ball guests parting to allow them passage. With a sigh, Felix released Shae and turned to address the room.

"Everything is fine," he said. "Please go back to enjoying the festivities. We have everything under control."

A low murmur rose from the crowd, but they began dispersing as the musicians resumed playing a jaunty tune. Felix squeezed Shae's hand.

"Are you all right?"

She smiled, even if it was a little wobbly. "You are always asking me that."

"Trust me. I wish I didn't have to." He lifted his other hand to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I cannot believe it was one of your ladies-in-waiting."

"Me neither," she admitted. "I know I have not been the friendliest with them, but I thought I knew them better than this."

Ornice was the second wife of the Councillor from Sanore and had taken her predecessor's place as Shae's lady-in-waiting more than a year ago. It was strange to think she had spent so much time with this woman without ever seeing the disdain that had been so clear in her face tonight.

"Don't blame yourself. She fooled us all."

"But you did not spend entire afternoons with her."

"Her and eleven other women." He made a wry face. "One cannot be expected to notice every minuscule detail in a group that large."

He turned to Hedda, who still hovered near them. "I wanted to thank you, Hedda. I saw what you did to keep my wife safe. It will not be forgotten."

The blond woman's cheeks brightened slightly, and she curtsied. "Anything to keep our queen safe."

"You went above and beyond what anyone could expect of a lady-in-waiting." Felix lifted a hand to drag a hand through his hair but stopped when his fingers hit the golden crown perched atop the blond strands. It was rare to see him sport the High King's crown; an elaborate golden piece with dark green emeralds embedded in the intricate designs. He only wore it on special occasions, like tonight. According to him, it was too uncomfortable to wear constantly. It might be uncomfortable, but she had to admit he looked good in it. The green of the emeralds complimented the green of his eyes.

"She was so brave!" Another lady-in-waiting chirped and looked up at Hedda with an expression of star-struck awe over her face.

The Bergener shrugged. "Anyone would have done it."

That was a blatant lie, as no one else in the group had thought to help. Then again, it had all been over so quickly, that they might not have had the chance to. Shae glanced at the tall blonde. The lady-in-waiting had shown tremendous skill and had acted lightning fast. It had felt like an eternity for Shae while it happened, but in reality, it had been over in moments. Thanks to the quick reflexes of Hedda. Remembering Spymaster Boreas's words about stationing agents through the castle and how he had once used their chambermaid, she couldn't help but wonder.

Hedda caught her watching and winked.

She had to stop herself from clasping a hand over her mouth as she contained a gasp. Boreas truly had people everywhere! How many of their servants reported back to the Spymaster? Would he tell her if she asked? Most likely not. The Spymaster liked to keep his secrets.

With a hand on the small of her back, Felix steered Shae around the ballroom, refusing to leave her side again despite the culprit having been captured. Many wanted to talk to them and offer their sympathies and ensure Shae had not been harmed, and they had to field questions about the attack, not wanting to give away too much. They didn't know why Ornice was intent on killing Shae. Hopefully, they would know soon.

They were speaking to King Baudwin of Breoch when Tamcred caught their attention. The second-in-command of the King's Guard walked up to them and mumbled a few words to Felix, who nodded, before disappearing again. Unease bubbled in her gut as Shae watched Felix bid King Baudwin a good night and good luck for the kingdom in the Games ahead. After leaving the king, he brought her to the side where they could speak away from prying ears.

"What is it?" she asked. "Have they found anything out?"

"Apparently, she is refusing to speak to anyone other than us," Felix said. "But I don't know if it is wise for us to oblige her."

"Why not? We have questions to ask."

"We can't trust anything she says. She has no reason to be truthful."

"I still wish to talk to her. I want to know why she did this. No, I need to know." She had been attacked in her home before and to this day, she still did not know why. Had they simply wanted to create chaos or had the Dark God's disciples had a more sinister reason for raiding the royal castle in Cyrene? She had survived then, and she had survived now. But this time she had the chance to ask her attacker exactly why she had been targeted, and she wasn't about to let that opportunity go to waste.

"All right." Felix nodded, his lips pressed together in a grim line. "We will speak to her. But we must be careful."

As the ball wound to a close, they made their way through the castle towards the cellars, delayed now and then by people wanting a word with Felix or simply to wish them goodnight and thank them for a successful ball.

"There's one thing I don't understand," Shae said as they descended a winding staircase. "Ornice has attended to me alone in my chambers on multiple occasions. Why did she not attack me then?"

"I'm not sure," Felix admitted. "Maybe she didn't want anyone to know she was responsible. If she'd attacked you in your room, the King's Guards would know she did it."

She nodded. That made sense. You'd want to be long gone before anyone realised you had murdered the High Queen of Erya. Two King's Guards followed closely behind them, and their presence together with Felix's warm hand enclosing hers made her feel secure. She could face her attacker and look her in the eyes without fear.

The cellars under the castle were large, with domed ceilings and lanterns hanging on the walls to light their way. As they walked further and further, a chill crept into her bones and she couldn't quite decide if it was because they were nearing Ornice, or if it was because of the cool cellar. When they reached a large wooden door with two King's Guards stationed outside, she gripped Felix's hand a little tighter and he squeezed hers reassuringly.

Unsurprisingly, Spymaster Boreas stood waiting for them in the hallway, his long fingers tapping against each other. Word travelled fast in the castle since he had not been in the ballroom when the attack happened. She couldn't help but imagine the small man as a spider in the middle of a large web of information, all pouring towards him. They would miss him when he travelled north to their planned base by the entrance to the Dreadlands.

He bowed as they approached. "I hope you do not mind me listening in on this conversation," he said.

Felix scoffed. "Could I stop you?"

The Spymaster grinned. "You could try."

Ignoring the man's cheeky insolence, Felix nodded towards the door. "Has anyone dealt with her husband? Do we know if he is involved?"

"We have locked him in his chamber for now," Boreas said. "One of my agents is interrogating him as we speak."

"Good. I don't want to take any chances. Let's talk to this woman."

One knight swung the door open, revealing a stone room lit by oil lamps in sconces on the walls. Shelves and barrels stacked with food and wine covered the walls. In the middle, on a rickety stool, sat Ornice with her arms bound behind her back and her chin against her chest as if she was sleeping. She looked small and harmless in the room as the flickering light of the lamps chased shadows over her features. It was difficult to imagine this was the woman who had attacked her not that long ago. When they entered the room, Ornice looked up, her normally pretty face set in grim lines.

"So you came," she said, her voice dripping with contempt. "The Usurper and his Queen."

~~~~~~